Written Answers Friday 24 February 2006

Scottish Executive

Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, under the terms of the Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill, proposals for nuclear power stations could be included in a future national planning framework.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill does not prescribe the type of development which may be included in a future national planning framework. Any application by a power generation company for a nuclear power station would be determined by ministers under the terms of the Electricity Act 1989. The Executive’s position on the development of new nuclear power stations is stated in the Partnership Agreement – we will not support the further development of nuclear power stations while waste management issues remain unresolved.

Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, under the terms of the Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill, proposals for nuclear waste disposal facilities could be included in a future national planning framework.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill does not prescribe the type of development which may be included in a future national planning framework. Any application for a new radioactive waste disposal facility would be determined under the provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act (Scotland) 1997, as amended. Such determination would be in accordance with the procedures appropriate for the category of development into which the proposed facility fell, as assessed against any criteria set out in secondary legislation to define the thresholds for the hierarchy of developments.

Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive which category of the hierarchy of developments set out in the Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill would be used to deal with applications for a (a) nuclear power station and (b) nuclear waste disposal facility.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Partnership Agreement makes the position on the development of new nuclear power stations clear – it states that we will not support the further development of nuclear power stations while waste management issues remain unresolved. Any application by a power generation company for a nuclear power station would be determined by ministers under the terms of the Electricity Act 1989, rather than Town and Country Planning legislation. Any application for a new radioactive waste disposal facility would be assessed against any criteria set out in secondary legislation to define the thresholds for the hierarchy of developments.

Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what opportunities would exist under the terms of the Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill for individuals to object to specific proposals contained in a future national planning framework.

Malcolm Chisholm: National Developments set out in the National Planning Framework will be subject to public consultation at four stages. First, there will be extensive consultation around the drafting of the National Planning Framework, involving seminars across Scotland and a full public consultation on a draft document. Second, there will be extensive scrutiny by Parliament, including a new procedure to allow Parliament to express its views at the end of the process, with MSPs accountable to the electorate in the normal ways. Third, national developments which need to go through the planning system will need to be included in development plans, with all the existing and proposed new opportunities for public involvement available. Fourth, individual planning applications for projects identified as national developments will also be subject to all the existing and proposed new opportunities for public participation. The issue of whether an individual development is required will be settled in a national debate, focused on the Executive and Parliament: all other issues, including specific location and design will remain to be settled by processes at a local level.